A minute of your time: The impact of survey recruitment method and interview location on the value of travel time

Askill Halse, Stefan Flügel, Marco Kouwenhoven, Gerard Jong, Hanne B. Sundfør, Nina Hulleberg, Guri N. Jordbakke and Henrik Lindhjem
Additional contact information
Stefan Flügel: Institute of Transport Economics (TØI)
Marco Kouwenhoven: Significance
Gerard Jong: Significance
Hanne B. Sundfør: Institute of Transport Economics (TØI)
Nina Hulleberg: Institute of Transport Economics (TØI)
Guri N. Jordbakke: Institute of Transport Economics (TØI)
Henrik Lindhjem: Menon Centre for Environmental and Resource Economics

Transportation, 2023, vol. 50, issue 5, No 2, 1553-1584

Abstract: Abstract Web-based stated preference (SP) surveys are widely used to estimate values of travel time (VTT) for cost–benefit analysis, often with internet panels as the source of recruitment. The recruitment method could potentially bias the results because (1) those who frequently participate in surveys may have a lower opportunity cost of time and (2) people who answer the survey at home or in the office may answer differently because the choice situation is less salient to them. In this paper, we investigate both mechanisms using data from a VTT choice experiment study where respondents were recruited from an internet panel, an alternative email register or on-board/on the station. Within all three groups, some complete the survey while making an actual trip. We find that respondents who were recruited from the internet panel or report being members of a panel have a significantly lower VTT, suggesting that internet panels are less representative in this respect compared to other recruitment methods. We also find that those who answer while traveling have a higher VTT, possibly because the benefits of saving travel time are more salient to them than to those who answer while not traveling.

Keywords: Value of travel time; Stated preference; Survey methods; Internet panel; Hypothetical bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11116-022-10287-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:transp:v:50:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s11116-022-10287-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ce/journal/11116/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s11116-022-10287-8

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation is currently edited by Kay W. Axhausen

More articles in Transportation from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().